The Jones Boys -Before Port Charles
by AJ6
Summary: This one is for old school GH fans who loved Frisco and Tony Jones! This is my take on what their lives were like before they came to Port Charles and what led up to their falling out 4 years before Frisco arrived in Port Charles. IF you enjoy, please comment and feel free to share in other forums. I have no idea how to reach out the old school fans.
1. Chapter 1

The Jones Boys – Before Port Charles

Author's note: I started watching General Hospital faithfully when I was 9 years old. It was right when Frisco Jones arrived in Port Charles and immediately, I was hooked and obsessed with Frisco. Then Tony Jones arrived and the Jones brothers quickly became my favorites to watch. I recently found all the old GH eps on youtube and re-watched them all. Now watching as an adult, I appreciate even more the special relationship that existed between these two brothers and the amazing chemistry between the actors who played them.

Frisco and Tony talked about their past on a few occasions, but not in a whole lot of detail. We knew that Tony was the good son and Frisco was the "delinquent adolescent" (to use Tony's words). We know they had been close, but had a falling out when their mother died 4 years prior to Frisco's arrival in Port Charles. But we don't know a whole lot about what life was like prior to that.

So that is what this story is about. My take on the life of Jones boys before they arrived in Port Charles. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave comments.

San Francisco – June 20th 1976

Tony Jones groaned as he slumped into the arm chair in the corner of living room of his family home and scanned the scene before him. It was supposed to be a birthday party for his little brother Andrew, or "Andy" as Tony affectionately referred to him. He turned 14 today and he should have been celebrating with friends, like every teen boy wants to do. But instead, this party consisted of only adults, some of whom were family members, but most of whom were friends of his parents, the wealthy and well respected, Dr. Andrew Jones and his beautiful wife Cynthia.

Had Tony not felt so bad for his little brother, he would have skipped out on this shindig altogether. It's not like he didn't have better things to do. Like packing for his trip to San Diego. A post college graduation trip he and his best friend Jake were treating themselves to. They were leaving the following afternoon. One last hoorah before the start of medical school. But he didn't have the heart to leave Andy alone to celebrate his birthday with a bunch of boring adults he barely knew.

But Tony hadn't seen his little brother for a least an hour now. The little shit. Here he was, giving up his afternoon so that his brother wouldn't be alone…and he takes off! Now, Tony was stuck making small talk with relatives he barely knew and maybe saw once a year if he was lucky (or unlucky depending on how you looked at it).

"Anthony!" Tony looked up and saw his mother beckoning him from across the room where she sat on the sofa with one of her many cousins, whose name Tony couldn't remember for the life of him.

"Anthony! Come here sweetheart."

Tony sighed and made his way across the room.

Standing over his mother, with his arms folded across his chest, stood his father and he looked anything but happy. And it didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what his problem was. Tony pretended not to notice as he took his place next to him.

"Yeah Ma?

"Anthony honey, do you know where your little brother is?"

Tony shrugged.

"No, I don't. Probably out in the neighborhood somewhere riding his new skateboard. He's been dying to try it out."

"Oh for cyin'out loud!" His father replied. "He has guests! I told him to stay in this house!"

"Now honey…" his mother began.

"Don't honey me! Some of these folks have travelled from out of state to see him and he takes off?"

"You mean to see you." Tony mumbled under his breath. "Andy barely knows these people."

"What was that?" His father snapped.

"Nothing."

"Oh Andrew. It's the boy's birthday! He's excited to try out his new gift. What's the big deal?" The cousin asked.

"The big deal, is that he is behaving like a spoiled brat and I am not raising a spoiled brat!"

Tony let out an audible sigh. His father gave him a side eye glance, but otherwise ignored the interruption as he continued…

"I should have taken the money he used for that foolish board and put it right into his college fund. Then we wouldn't be having this discussion."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be so sure about that." Tony replied, but was ignored once again as him mother, instead, addressed his father.

"Don't be ridiculous. That's not why my mother sent him that money. It was a birthday present. To be spent on what _he_ wanted!"

"Well fine!" His father spat back. "But after this little stunt, he won't be riding the damn thing for a month because I'm taking it as punishment for his little disappearing act."

"Oh Andrew!" his mother huffed.

"Oh nothing! I'm going to make myself another drink!"

"Wonderful." Tony sneered. "Because that will make things so much more pleasant for the rest of us."

If his father heard him, he didn't reply. He just stormed off in the direction of the makeshift bar set up across the room.

Tony turned back to his mother.

"Can't you make him lay off Andy for once! That man is always on his case for something. The kid can't do anything!"

"I know. I know." His mother agreed. "I will try. But honey please…can you go see if you can find him? Before your father really loses it."

"Yeah alright." Tony acquiesced.

If his Dad didn't kill Andy, Tony was pretty sure he was going to. Not for taking off and abandoning his own birthday celebration. Tony certainly couldn't fault him for that. But he could have at least clued Tony in on his plans. Or better yet…. taken him with him.

In his frustration, Tony shoved the swinging door to the kitchen open with such force it nearly snapped off it's hinges before swinging back three or four times after Tony made his way through. He was halfway to the back door to find his brother, when Andy entered, dressed in his usual worn blue jeans and t-shirt. He had his head down and his long sandy brown hair hung over his face so he didn't see his brother approaching him from the other direction as he made his way toward the refrigerator.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tony demanded to know, not caring at all that he clearly scared the shit out of the boy, who nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his brother's voice. Andy whipped his head up, flipping the hair from his eyes and it was only then, that Tony notice his little brother was holding onto his left arm and his eyes were rimmed with tears.

"Not now Tony. Leave me alone." His said as he attempted to maneuver his way around his older brother.

"Hold on. What's wrong?" Tony asked.

"I wiped out. That's what's wrong."

"What?"

"I think I broke my wrist."

"Oh great. Let me see."

Andrew held his arm up and Tony gently placed one hand under his elbow and the other under his fingertips.

"Well, it's starting to swell a little bit. But it may not be broken. Can you move your hand at all?"

"Not much." Andrew replied, wincing in pain as he attempted to move it.

"You may have just sprained it." Tony informed him as he opened the freezer and scanned its contents for something he could use as an icepack. He found a bag of frozen peas that would do nicely and after smashing it on the kitchen counter a few times to break it up inside, he wrapped it in a dishtowel and gently pressed it on his brothers ever swelling wrist.

"You really need that X-rayed though. I'm gonna get Dad."

"Great." The boy whimpered as he wiped his eyes with the back of his good hand.

"What's going on in here?"

This time, both boys jumped at the sound of their father's voice.

"Oh Dad. I was just coming to get you." Tony replied.

"Andrew, where the hell have you been? We have guests! Guests that are here for _your_ birthday."

Tony could feel his face reddening as his anger consumed him. Any _normal_ father would have noticed the ice pack on the wrist and the tears in his son's eyes by now and expressed some concern. But not his old man.

"Will you just lay off the kid for one minute? Can't you see he's hurt himself!" Tony exclaimed, pointing out the obvious. Before he could explain further though, his father cut him off.

"Let me guess. You fell off that foolish skateboard."

He was speaking directly to Andrew now.

Andy, who had immediately hung his head in defeat when his father started in on him, just nodded.

"And you hurt your wrist."

Andy nodded again and wiped his eyes once more with the back of his hand.

"Well, stop your sniffling and let me take a look."

Andrew did as he was instructed and peeled back the make shift icepack from his wrist. If anything, it looked worse now. Not only was it swollen, but had started to turn a dark reddish blue in color.

"Yeah…that looks broken." Tony chimed in before his father could utter a word.

"Really? Is that your professional opinion Dr. Jones?" His father snapped back sarcastically.

Tony took a breath, trying to calm himself so he wouldn't make the situation worse for his little brother.

"I'm just saying…it looks pretty bad."

"Yeah well, sometimes sprains _are_ pretty bad. Doesn't mean it's broken." His father informed him before turning his attention back to Andrew.

"Just keep the ice on it and if the swelling hasn't gone down by the end of the party, we'll take you for some x-rays."

And with that, he gave Andrew what could almost be construed as an affectionate pat on the shoulder and then turned and started to make his way back toward the living room.

"Are you fuckin kidding me right now!" Tony shouted at his father's back, stopping the man dead in his tracks.

The outburst even surprised Andy. He rarely heard his brother curse and never at, or around, his father.

"What did you just say to me?" His father shot back, rushing back toward his son.

"You heard me." Tony spat, getting right up in his father's face. "Your son is agony and you're going to make him sit through this sorry excuse for a party? For what? To teach him a lesson?"

"So, what if I am?" His father replied. "It's about damn time that boy learned some respect! He should never have been on that skateboard to begin with! I told him to STAY IN THIS HOUSE!"

"It's his birthday! He doesn't want to be cooped up in the house with a bunch of adults he barely knows!"

He would have continued, but the conversation was interrupt by one of his father's colleagues who had heard the commotion and come in to investigate.

"Hey, what's going on in here? We can hear you two yelling from the other room!"

"Nothing! Andy and I were just leaving." Tony replied.

"And just where the hell do you think you're going?" His father asked.

"To the emergency room! Andy, let's go!"

"Oh no you're not! He's not going anywhere except right into that living room." The elder Jones shot back, grabbing his youngest son by his good arm and jerking him toward the living room door.

The sudden movement sent a wave of searing pain up the boys injured arm and he cried out causing his father to immediately release his grip.

Hearing his little brother cry out in such pain was too much for Tony, who flew across the room in a rage. He shoved his father into the nearest wall and easily pinned him there with one arm across the back of his neck.

"Go ahead old man! Touch him again! I dare you!"

Before things could escalate further, his father's friend grabbed Tony from behind and pulled him back.

"Anthony! Calm down! Everybody just calm down!" the man pleaded.

"Come on Andy!" Tony said, turning to face his brother. "We're leaving."

The younger boy whimpered unsure of what to do. He was shaking at this point. Whether that was from pain, fear, or both Tony had no idea.

"It's alright Andy." Tony said, placing a protective arm around his little brother's shoulders. "I'm taking you to the hospital and he's not going to stop us. Are you father?"

Tony gave his father a look as if daring him to try.

"You do what you want." His father spat. "I've had enough of the both of you."

He stormed out of the room, leaving his confused and concerned colleague behind. The man turned to Tony.

"Anthony what is going on?" Then, turning his attention to Andy he asked. "What happened?"

It didn't dawn on Tony until later, that due to the fight he walked in on, this man very possibly may have believed his father was responsible for Andrew's injury. Luckily, Andy cleared up the confusion pretty quick.

"I'm alright. I just fell of my skateboard."

"Oh buddy." he replied, reaching out and gently placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "That's a hell of a thing to happen on your birthday. Listen, do you boys want me to go with you to the hospital. Because I will. It's no problem. I can get you in and out of there in no time."

Tony knew the man was telling the truth. Like his father, he was a respected physician in the community. And unlike his father, he genuinely seemed to care about Andy. But Tony also knew that allowing the man to accompany them would only infuriate his father more.

"No, thank you Dr. Burns. I can handle it. Really. Can you just let my Mom know where we went and we'll be back as soon as we can?"

The man smiled and nodded.

"Sure. No problem.

**Two Hours later – local hospital.**

"I got us a coke to split. You thirsty?" Tony asked as he returned to his brother's bedside in the emergency room.

They had been in the ER for almost two hours and had just returned from having Andy's arm X-rayed, when Tony had spotted the vending machine outside the entrance to ER.

Andy, who was lying on his back, cradling his injured on his stomach, just shook his head. The attending doctor had given him some medication and Tony could clearly see it was starting to make him drowsy.

"You doing alright? Does it still hurt real bad?" He asked, placing the unopened can down on a table beside the bed.

Andy shook his head once again.

"Nah. I'm just sleepy."

Tony smiled.

"That's because they gave you the good drugs." he replied, reaching forward to brush back the hair that fallen into his brother's face, partially obscuring his eyes.

This time, Andy smiled.

"What would Saint Anthony know about good drugs?"

"You know I don't like it when you call me that." Tony replied, but smiled to let his brother know he really wasn't mad.

Normally he would be. But this time he knew his little brother was just joking around and not saying it to be nasty. And for a little kid, Andy could sure be nasty and miserable when he wanted to be. He hated the fact that their Dad was always comparing them and telling him to be more like his older brother. It pissed him off and he took his anger out on Tony. Probably because he knew, short of occasionally yelling back at him, Tony wouldn't do anything about it. If he had said some of the things to his father that he had said to Tony in the past, he would have received a backhand across the face and been grounded for months.

"Tony. Why does Dad hate me so much?" Andy asked. His eyes were filling with tears once again and his chin quivered as he tried to fight the urge to cry.

"Oh buddy. He doesn't hate you."

"Yes, he does." Andy insisted. "He's always yelling at me. I don't even know what it is I'm doing wrong half the time."

"That's because half the time you're not doing anything wrong. You're just being a typical thirteen-year-old."

"Fourteen-year-old." Andy reminded him.

"Fourteen-year-old." Tony repeated. "Listen, Dad just isn't good with kids. Especially teenagers. Never has been. He was the same with me, you just don't remember because you were so young."

Now this was a lie. Their father had never treated Tony the way he treated Andy, but Tony had to say something to make his brother feel better.

"The Doctor should be back in a little bit with those X-ray results. In the meantime, why don't you try to get some rest." Tony suggested as he reached out and wiped the tear that had manage to escape and trickle down his brother's cheek. "You definitely look like your fighting a losing battle against those pain meds."

Andy nodded and closed his eyes and within minutes he was fast and deeply asleep. He didn't even wake when the doctor returned to put the cast on his arm, which was in fact, fractured.

Half an hour later, their father decided to show up, much to Tony's chagrin.

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked when his father farther appeared in the emergency room at the foot of the bed his brother lay in, still fast asleep.

"Your mother was worried." His father replied. "She sent me down here to get you."

Tony paused and waited for his father to say something else. He didn't.

"Andy's fine by the way." Tony snapped at him sarcastically. "Thanks for asking."

"I know he's fine. I spoke with the doctor when I came in." His father replied calmly. "Now, if you don't mind." He took a step toward the bed and reached for his son. Tony quickly grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm waking him up. It's time to go."

"Don't wake him up. He's exhausted. Just leave him alone."

"Anthony. This is a hospital not a hotel."

"I'm aware of that. But look around. The place is dead at the moment. It's not hurting anyone to just let him a rest here a little while longer."

His father shook his head and began to reply but Tony cut him off…

"In fact, it was the Doctor's idea. Go ahead and ask him if you don't believe me."

"Fine!" His father snapped back. "But if he's not up in 30 minutes you are to wake him up. I want you both home in an hour."

"I was going to stop and get him something to eat. He hasn't eaten all day." Tony reminded him.

"There will be plenty of leftovers from the party for him to eat."

"Shrimp cocktail, caviar and finger sandwiches really aren't Andy's thing."

Tony was pushing his luck and he knew it. But he just couldn't help himself. His father just scowled at him.

"One hour, Anthony. I mean it."

The hour came and went and of course the boys were not at home. In fact, they had just arrived at the Andy's favorite pizza place. Tony was hoping that a slice or two of his favorite food would cheer his brother up. But a half hour after they had arrived, Andy was still aimlessly poking at his first piece with a plastic fork.

"Look, I don't want to rush you or anything, but we were supposed to be home a half hour ago." Tony said.

Andy frowned and tossed his fork onto his plate.

"Sorry. I guess I'm just not hungry."

Tony sighed and settled back in his chair.

"I'm really sorry your birthday turned out this way Andy."

Andy shrugged.

"It's OK. It's not your fault."

"It's not your fault either." Tony reminded him. "But I think I know something that might cheer you up."

"I highly doubt it."

Tony pushed, the paper plate in front of him aside and leaned on the table.

"How would you like to go to San Diego with me and Jake tomorrow?" He asked, flashing his brother a wicked grin.

Andy furrowed his brow in confusion.

"I'm sorry…what?"

Tony laughed.

"How would you…like to go with me…to San Diego?"

"You're teasing me." Andy replied.

"No, I'm not." Tony insisted. "I talked to Mom while you were asleep and she said it was fine."

"Yeah, and what about Jake? I highly doubt he wants to spend his vacation with a stupid kid."

"Well, you're right about that." Tony agreed, settling back in his chair.

Andy frowned, he knew his brother was teasing him.

"So, it's good thing we're taking _you_ and not some stupid kid." Tony said, smiling at his brother

Andy gave his brother another look of disbelief.

"I already talked to him Andy. He totally fine with it. In fact, he already took care of getting your plane ticket. Fortunately, it's not a full flight so he didn't have any trouble."

"Jeez! How the heck long was I asleep?"

"Long enough!" Tony laughed. "So, what do you say? You want to come with us or not."

"For the entire week?" Andy asked, still not quite believing it.

"No, we thought we'd ship you back after a day." Tony replied rolling his eyes. "Of course, for the week!"

"Dad will never let me go."

"You just leave Dad to me. OK?"

Andy thought about it a moment and then nodded.

"I love you Tony."

Tony smiled, reach across the table and gently squeezed his brother's good arm.

"I love you too. Now would you please eat something! The longer we're gone the angrier Dad is going to be."

Andy smirked.

"Kinda makes we want to eat even slower" he admitted.

"Well, you know, that's fine with me." Tony replied, settling back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest. "I was going to run interference for you once we got home, but if you want to make him even more pissed than he already is, your free to handle it on your own."

"Never mind. I'm eating." Andy said, picking up his pizza and taking a bite.

"Yeah." Tony replied smiling. "That's what I thought.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

The Jones Boys – Before Port Charles -Part 2

Tony grabbed a book from his carry on bag, before returning it to the overhead compartment and closing the door. He briefly glanced back at his little brother Andy, seated 4 rows back before taking his seat and re-buckling his seatbelt.

"You know, I would have sat back there if you wanted to sit with Andy." His friend Jake said from his seat beside him.

Tony shook his head.

"Nah. He's fine. He'll probably sleep most of the flight anyway. I gave him one of his pain pills before we boarded."

Jake laughed.

"Smart man."

"Yeah. There's a method to my madness." Tony replied. He paused a moment before adding. "Listen, I really owe you big time for agreeing to this. I know this wasn't really the graduation trip you were envisioning."

Jake shrugged.

"Meh…don't worry about. You wouldn't have been much fun to hang with anyway if you had left him behind. You would have just been worrying about him all week."

"Sad but true." Tony agreed. "To be honest…I don't know if Andy would have been there when I got back. I'm really afraid he's gonna take off one of these days."

"That bad?"

"Oh, it's brutal. Dad is just always on his case about something."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Dad's old school. He wants that perfect college bound son who gets straight A's and letters in sports."

"Kinda like you." Jake added, jabbing him in the ribs.

"Well yeah…I guess. But that is just not who Andy is. He's more of a free spirit. He's into art and music. Not science and football."

"And what's wrong with that?" Jake asked.

"Nothing!" Tony replied. "But it won't get him into med school, which is what Dad wants."

"He's fourteen. Isn't it a little soon to start worrying about med school? Kid hasn't even started high school yet."

"Like that matters? Dad's been obsessing about our academic futures since we were in diapers."

"No pressure or anything." Jake teased.

"I know right."

Tony glanced back again at his brother and frowned. Andy had in fact fallen asleep, but fell asleep on the shoulder of and elderly lady sitting next him.

"Are you kidding me!"

"What?" Jake asked, looking back at Andy.

"He's got a window seat and he's still laying all over the poor lady beside him."

Tony reached up and hit the call button over his head.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked him.

"I'm switching seats with him. You don't mind if he sleeps on you, do you?"

"What the hell. It's not like I'm getting anyone else to sleep with me this week." Jake joked just as the flight attendant appeared before them.

"Yes Sir. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes." Tony replied. "That's my little brother back there in row 15. Can you please tell the woman next to him that I'd be happy to switch seats with him if he's bothering her."

The flight attendant looked up, saw Andy sleeping soundly on the woman beside him, and smiled.

"I'll let her know Sir."

She was gone only a few moments before she returned, still smiling.

"Sir. The woman wanted me to tell you your brother is absolutely fine where he is."

Tony looked back again and the old woman smiled at him and nodded.

"Thanks. Sorry." Tony mouthed to her before turning back to the flight attendant. "Alright, well thank you for checking for me."

"You're welcome sir. If there is anything else, I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask."

When she was gone, Tony turned back to his friend.

"See…this is what I don't get. That kid can charm a complete stranger but somehow can't manage to get an ounce of affection from his own father."

"Yeah. It's kinda sad." Jake agreed.

"Heartbreaking is more like it." Tony countered.

"Well listen. Just put it out of your mind for now because the three of us are going to have a great time this week. Andy's going to have a blast." Jake replied.

"That's right!" Tony agreed enthusiastically. "But only during the days. The nights are ours. We'll leave Andy at the hotel and you and I will hit the bars, the discos and anyplace else that doesn't allow 14 year old kids."

"That my friend, sound likes a plan. It's going to be a great week."

Tony glanced one more time back at his brother.

"Yeah. I certainly hope so."

**Two days later -Coronado Island, San Diego**

"Hey Tony?"

Tony had just started to drift off when the sound of his friend's voice woke him up. He had been happily enjoying the warm sun and sea air of Coronado beach from the comfort of a lounge chair he had rented. Normally, he wouldn't fork over money for simple beach chair, but he was on vacation so he figured, what the hell. It beat getting sand in your shorts. He even rented one for Andy, although they had been there nearly three hours and Andy had yet to use it.

"Tone? Jake called out to him again.

"Yeah?" Tony replied, removing his sun glasses and rubbing his eyes.

"Is there something wrong with us?"

Tony laughed as he put his sunglasses back on.

"I'm sure there is. You care to be more specific?"

Jake, who was sitting on a lounge chair beside him, propped himself up on one arm and faced his friend.

"I mean, we're good looking guys. Right?"

Tony shrugged, unsure of where the conversation was headed.

"I dunno. I guess."

"So why is it, that we are sitting here by ourselves while your thirteen-year-old brother…"

"Fourteen" Tony corrected him.

"…Fourteen-year-old brother, saunters onto the beach, takes off his t-shirt, whips his hair back and has half the population of teenage girls on Coronado Island drooling all over him?"

Tony laughed out loud.

"Yeah. I don't know. It's a gift I guess."

"And is it me, or has he turned blonde in the two days we've been here."

Tony propped himself up on his elbows and looked down the beach where his brother was happily throwing a frisbee around with a group of pretty, scantily clad teenage girls.

"Yeah…his hair definitely lightens up in the sun. Of course, it helps that he's got that wicked tan going on at the moment."

"Yeah. Unlike the lobster red burn, I've got going on." Jake said.

"Now, don't be jealous. I told you to use sun block." Tony reminded him.

"I did!" Jake shot back. "Oh…there he goes again with that little hair whip thing he does. Do you see how those little girls swoon every time he does it?"

"Yeah…I don't think he's doing that intentionally." Tony replied. "I just don't think he can see with his hair in his eyes."

"Oh please! That kid knows exactly what he's doing."

"Ya think?"

"Absolutely."

Tony sighed and laid back on his chair.

"Maybe your right. I mean, he did learn everything he knows from his big brother."

"Really? Do you have another brother I don't know about?"

"Hah! Hah! Very funny."

"You know…" came a high pitched voice from behind them, "You boys might have better luck if you paid more attention to your surroundings instead of focusing on little boys on the beach."

Tony and Jake quickly spun around in their chairs to find two, gorgeous girls grinning at them from their blanket, just a couple of yards back from where they were sitting. They looked to be in their early twenties. One was a gorgeous brunette with long, curly hair that just touched her shoulders. The other, a blonde, with pin straight hair parted down the middle. Both were dressed in the tiniest of swimsuits that only the slimmest of girls could pull off.

"We've been trying to get your attention for the past half hour." The blonde informed them.

"You couldn't have been trying that hard." Jake replied with a smile. "We definitely would have noticed you two."

"Well, we didn't want to make it too obvious." The brunette replied.

"Well, you have our attention now." Tony pointed out. "Care to join us?"

The brunette smiled and shook her head as she got up off the blanket.

"Sorry. We can't now. We're meeting some friends to go shopping."

"Bummer." Jake replied.

"But, we're free tonight?" The blonde added as she too, got up off the blanket. "We were going to check out this restaurant in Old Towne and then hit some local bars. You two wanna come with?"

Jake laughed.

"You don't even know our names and you're asking us out?"

The blonde smiled, then pointed to him.

"Jake and Tony. I told you, we've been watching you boys."

"And you are?" Tony asked.

"I'm Lucy." The blonde said, raising her hand. "And this is Laura."

"So, what do you say?" Laura chimed in, as she bent down to pick their blanket up off the sand.

Tony and Jake looked at one another, then shrugged.

"Why not." Jake replied.

"Great!" Lucy replied. "We're in room 209 over at the Del. Pick us up around 8:00?

"Wow!" Jake said. "Staying at the old Hotel Del. Huh? Nice."

"Yeah, well it's not as glamorous as it sounds." Laura said. "We have five of us crammed in one room. It's the only way we could afford it."

"You guys aren't staying at the hotel?" Lucy asked.

"Hell no!" Jake replied. "We're on a med school budget. We're staying off the island."

"Ooh! Future Doctors. We sure know how to pick em." Lucy giggled, elbowing her friend.

"We really gotta go. We're already late" Laura informed them.

"We'll see you at 8:00 then?" Tony said.

"Can't wait." Lucy replied, winking at him.

When they were gone, Jake turned to Tony and punched him playfully in the arm.

"Now that is what I'm talking about."

"They were cute!" Tony said.

"Cute? They were gorgeous!"

"And not a all shy." Tony replied with a smile. "I think we have quite a night ahead of us."

_**Hotel Room – Next morning**_.

Tony groaned and stretched out in the bed. He opened his eyes, and while the room was still fairly dark, a beam of sunlight from a crack in the window curtain hit him right in the eyes causing him to wince in pain and he immediately closed them again. His head was pounding…he clearly had too much to drink the night before. He groaned again before rolling over and throwing his arm across the bed, hitting the soft form of the small figure lying beside him. There was a soft moan in response to the assault, but that was it. Which was the Tony's first clue that something wasn't right. Sharing a bed with his little brother the past few days hadn't been too awful but it also wasn't ideal. Andy definitely wasn't what you would call a sound sleeper. He tossed, turned, and kicked a lot, often forcing Tony to the very edge of his side of the bed.

Tony opened his eyes, and when the pain finally subsided and his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized it wasn't his little brother beside him in the bed, but the blonde chic from Coronado Island.

He immediately sat up and glanced over at Jakes' bed thinking Andy would be there. But he wasn't. Jake was cuddled up with the brunette.

"Andy?" Tony called out scanning the room in a panic.

He threw the covers back and leapt from the bed. He ran to check the bathroom, but it was empty and the door leading out of the hotel room was still chained shut.

"Oh my God!" he cried out. "Jake! Get up!"

He reached for the door, determined to race out and find his brother, but realized he was only dressed in his boxer shorts.

He quickly ran back towards the bed, looking for his pants.

"Jake! Wake up! Where's Andy?"

Jake groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"What do you mean where is Andy?"

"I mean he's not here!" Tony shot back, pulling on the jeans that he managed to fish out from under the bed.

"Well don't get excited. He probably just went to get some breakfast." Jake reasoned.

"With the door still chained shut!" Tony hollered at him. "Jesus Christ Jake! Did we lock him out last night?"

"I don't know! I don't remember!" Now Jake was starting to panic as well.

"I don't believe this!" Tony replied. "What the hell did we do?"

"Calm down! Check the balcony." Jake's bedmate called out from where she had buried herself under the sheets.

"What?"

"You put the kid to sleep out on the balcony." This time it was the blonde. She was sitting up, holding a sheet to her bare chest and grinning at them like the fools they were.

"Are you serious?" Tony asked.

As if in response to his question, there came a soft _tap, tap, tap_ from behind the curtain that was pulled across the balcony door.

Tony raced to door and yanked the curtain back. Sure enough, standing there, wrapped in a blanket and grinning at him like a cheshire cat, was Andy.

Tony quickly unlocked the door and slid it open.

"Morning!" Andy greeted him cheerfully.

"Get in here." Tony replied, grabbing his brother by the arm and pulling him into the room. "Are you OK? It must have been freezing out there last night."

Andy shrugged.

"It actually wasn't that bad. And the sound of the ocean was kinda nice. It drowned out all the noise coming from in here."

He made a face like he was gagging and the blonde giggled.

"Alright. That's enough." Tony said impatiently. "Get dressed and I'll take you down for some breakfast."

"I can go by myself." Andy informed him.

"No. I'm going with you." Tony insisted. "You and I need to have a little talk."

"Why? What did I do? I wasn't the one who had sex with a stranger."

"Kid's got a point" the blonde interjected.

"Thank you!" Tony snapped, without turning to face her.

"Whatever." She replied, laying back down and pulling the covers over her head. "I'm going back to bed. Wake me when you get back."

"Look…" Tony turned his attention back to his brother. "You're not in trouble. OK? Just get dressed."

"OK fine. Give me a minute." Any replied, walking over to grab some clothes from his bag before heading to the bathroom to change.

When the bathroom door closed, Tony sighed and turned to face Jake who was still sitting up in bed.

"Guess we really messed up. Huh?" Jake said.

"Yeah." Tony replied. "Understatement of the year."

_**Hotel restaurant – later**_

"You sure you don't want some." Andy asked, grinning like a little shit and waving a piece of greasy bacon in Tony's face. "It's really good."

And he would know. He had already scarfed down half a plate of bacon and serving of scrambled eggs and they hadn't even been there twenty minutes. Tony on the other hand, could only stomach a few bites of dry toast and black coffee. And even that made his feel like he was going to hurl.

Tony groaned and pushed his brother's hand away.

"Andy please. Just stop."

Andy tossed the piece of bacon down on his plate and sat back in his chair.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked his brother.

"Mad at you?" Tony repeated. "Why would I be mad at you?"

"How the hell should I know?" Andy shot back. "But you said you wanted to talk and we've been sitting here for twenty minutes and you haven't said a damn thing! You certainly seem pissed off."

"I'm not mad at you Andy. _YOU_ didn't do anything wrong. I did. I'm mad at me. OK? Not you."

"Well, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal, Andy…Is that what happened last night _never_ should have happened. That is not the type of example I should be setting for my little brother."

Andy rolled his eyes.

"You were just having a little fun."

"Really?" Tony countered. "Was it fun? Because I don't really remember it."

"Well, I heard you. And believe me, _you_ had fun." Andy laughed.

Tony groaned in frustration and buried his face in his hands.

"Oh, come on! Lighten up!" Andy exclaimed. "You're making a big deal about nothing. It's not like I don't know about sex."

"Yeah, well…" Tony began, but before he could finish, Andy added…

"I'm not even a virgin."

Tony's jaw dropped.

"I'm sorry. What did you just say?"

"You heard me." And when Tony just stared at him in disbelief he added. "Again! What is the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you are thirteen years old."

"I'm fourteen."

Tony slammed his hands down on the table, sending a plate of toast bouncing off edge and crashing to the floor.

"You've been fourteen for 3 days! And you certainly haven't had any sex while you were on this trip with me!" he hollered at him.

Andy shrank down in his chair, his face turning scarlet as the whole restaurant turned in their direction.

"Jeez Tony!"

"Sorry!" Tony said to him. "Sorry!" he repeated again louder, addressing the patrons who were now shaking their heads and returning to their meals.

"I was just kidding anyway." Andy admitted.

"So, you haven't had sex yet?" Tony asked him.

"No. I haven't. But thanks for embarrassing me like that. I really appreciate it."

Tony laughed and settled back in his chair.

"Well I am sorry. But you're partially to blame. You should have known better."

"I could have though." Andy insisted.

"Could have what?

"Had sex. It's not like I haven't had the opportunity. I've had plenty."

"Well _that_ I believe." Tony admitted.

"Yeah?"

"Sure. I saw you with those girls on Coronado island. I'm not blind. Just don't be so quick to jump at those opportunities. You're way too young for that."

"Well how old were you the first time?

"I'm not telling you that! Tony exclaimed.

"Why not? Because you were young. Right? That's why you don't want to tell me."

Tony shook his head.

"No, that is not the reason."

"Then tell me."

"Fine! I was seventeen. OK?"

"Shit! I'm not waiting that long." Andy insisted.

Tony sighed.

"I give up. Please just promise me you'll be careful."

Any frowned

"I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were stupid. I just don't want you to get hurt. You're my kid brother and I love you."

Andy smile at him.

"I love you too. Even when you lock me out on the balcony to have sex with random girls."

Tony laughed.

"I'm never going to live this one down. Am I?"

"Hell no! I finally have dirt on Saint Anthony! I own you!"

To be continued….


	3. Chapter 3

The Jones Boys – Before Port Charles-Part 3

Tony Jones slammed the car door and raced to catch up to his little brother, who was half way to the back door of their San Francisco home.

"Hey! Hey! Hold up a sec." He said, catching his brother by the arm.

"What?" Andy asked, glancing down at Tony's hand that still had a firm grasp on his arm.

"Listen. We don't need to tell Mom and Dad about our little side trip to Tijuana. Right?"

"Right." Andy repeated, as though it were the stupidest question he had heard. He turned back toward the house, but Tony pulled him back.

"And we definitely don't need to tell them about the girls from Coronado Island."

"Duh." Andy rolled his eyes. "Of course, we can talk about mine. I mean…I didn't sleep with mine."

Tony just gave him a look. Andy laughed and turned toward the door again. But once again, Tony pulled him back.

"I know…you can tell them about our trip to Sea World."

"We didn't go to Sea World."

"Andy! Focus! You are so dense sometimes!"

"Sorry!" Andy laughed again, slapping himself in the forehead. "Seaworld was great! I loved Sea World. Very educational."

"Yeah…dial it down notch." Tony warned. "Since when have you enjoyed anything that was educational?"

"Can I go in now?" Andy asked, clearly annoyed.

"Yeah, go ahead."

The boys entered through the back door and found their mother, at the counter, chopping up ingredients for a salad. When she saw them, she immediately stopped what she was doing and crossed the room to greet them.

"There are my babies!"

"Hey Ma!" Tony greeted her with a quick hug.

"Oh! I missed you boys so much." She said, pulling Andy to her and embracing him. "Look at how tan you are! Both of you!" She said, releasing her grip and taking a step back to look at them.

"Yeah. That's what 7 days in the San Diego sun will do to you." Tony replied.

"My boys are so handsome. I bet you had the girls falling all over you."

Andy laughed out loud and Tony swatted him in the stomach.

"I wouldn't go that far." He said.

"Oh, don't be modest Anthony." She replied, reaching up and patting him on the cheek.

"Yeah Anthony! Don't be so modest." Andy teased.

Tony jabbed his brother in the ribs and was about to change the subject when their father entered the kitchen from the living room.

"Well, look who's back!" He greeted them cheerfully.

"Hey Dad." Tony said, stepping forward to give his father a quick hug.

Andy however, made no movement in his father's direction.

"Andy…how's the wrist?"

"It's fine." Andy replied. "It doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Well that's good. I'm glad to hear it." He said with a nod. "You boys made it back just in time for dinner."

"And I made your favorite." Their mother chimed in. "Lasagna. I hope you're hungry."

"I'm starving!" Andy replied enthusiastically.

"Starving? I just got you one of those giant pretzels when we got off the plane." Tony said.

"Yeah. But I'm still hungry."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"You're _always_ hungry."

"That's because he's a growing boy." Their father added. "You just wait Anthony. It won't be long before Andy's as tall as you are.

He reached out and tussled his son's hair.

Tony couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn he saw his brother flinch at the touch.

"Well, let's eat." Their father said, clapping his hands together. "Cindy, why don't you have a seat. Tony, you want to help me grab the food."

Their mother smiled and took her youngest son by the hand and led him over to the table.

"Now you sit down here. I want to hear all about your trip."

"It was so much fun." Andy said excitedly.

"I hope you've thanked your brother for taking you." Their father said, placing the lasagna tray down on the table. "That was very nice of him to take you along on his graduation trip."

"He has dad." Tony answered for him, as he placed the salad bowl down on the table and took the seat next to Andy. "Many times in fact."

"Well…what did you do. I want details." Their mother said.

"We went to Sea World." Andy replied quickly, glancing at his brother.

"You did! What fun!"

"Yeah. I thought it would be fun _and_ educational." Tony added.

Andy, who had been taking a sip of his milk, choked when Tony said this and began coughing uncontrollably.

"Easy kiddo!" Tony said with a smirk as he slapped his brother on the back. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"You OK honey?" Their mother asked him.

Andy nodded and shoved his brother's hand away.

"Just went down the wrong pipe."

"You know. I've never been to Sea World." Their mother said, as she began passing plates of lasagna across the table to her sons. "But I've always wanted to see that Shamu show. I wanted to bring you boys back when they first launched it but we could just never find the time with your father's work schedule and all."

"Oh, it was great." Andy replied. "I love dolphins."

Tony quickly kicked his brother under the table.

"Dolphins? I thought Shamu was a killer whale?" Their father said.

"It is." Tony shot back quickly. "Andy's just confused. We saw so many shows that day."

"That's right! The whale show. That was great too." Andy said, then began shoveling lasagna into his mouth before his mother could ask any more questions about it.

"You know. This is really nice." Tony said, quickly changing the subject. "I can't remember the last time we sat down and had a family dinner like this."

"It sure is." His mother agreed.

"Well, while we are all here, there is something your mother and I wanted to talk you boys about."

"Oh Andrew! Not now." Their mother snapped. "We can discuss it later!"

"Actually, we can't. Because I have to go to work."

"Can't we just let them eat first?" She pleaded with him.

"What's wrong?" Andy asked, his mouth half filled with food.

"Yeah. What is it?" Tony added.

Their mother sighed and glared at her husband.

"Cindy, we have to tell them."

"Tell us what?" Tony said, raising his voice.

Their father pushed his plate forward and settled back in his chair.

"You boys know that your mother hasn't been feeling well recently."

"Yeah…she's been getting those headaches." Andy said.

Their father nodded.

"That's right. Well, while you were away, I took you mother to the hospital for some tests."

"And…" Tony pressed him when he didn't continue right away.

His father sighed and began fidgeting nervously with his hands.

"And they found a brain tumor."

"What?" Tony said, then reached over to grab his brother's hand when he heard the boy gasp.

"It's small and they think it's operable. But…"

"But what?" Andy cried.

"They won't know if it's cancerous until they operate."

"Cancer!" Andy cried out again. "Are you saying Mom's dying?"

"No sweetheart! Of course not. We don't even know what it is yet." His mother replied.

"But it could be? It could be cancer?" Andy said, his eyes filling with tears.

"Yes honey, it could be."

Andy lowered his head and tightened his grip on his brother's hand. Tony could feel him trembling beside him.

"What are they going to do?" Tony asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"Well, we have surgery scheduled for next week." Their father stated matter of factly. "They'll go in and try to remove as much of the tumor as they can."

"Is that dangerous?" Tony asked.

"Well son, as you know, with every surgery there is risk." Their father replied.

"Can I be excused please!" Andy said, without raising his head.

"Oh Andy. Please don't be upset." His mother pleaded.

"Andrew, let me just explain to you what's going to happen. You'll feel better once you understand." their father offered.

Andy shook his head.

"I don't…I don't want to...I want to go my room. Please!"

Andy was practically hyperventilating at this point. It was so bad, he could barely vocalize his request.

"Andy…" Tony said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Just relax."

Still, without looking up at his parents, Andy turned in his chair and grabbed onto his brother by both arms.

"Please! I just wanna go! I don't want to talk about this anymore!"

Tony didn't know what to do to help. There was no calming him. Not now. Not here.

"Can he be excused. Please!" Tony demanded.

"Of course!" His mother replied. "Andy, honey…. you're excused."

Andy didn't wait for anyone to say anything else. Once his mother gave the OK, he sprang from the table and fled the room.

"I should go talk to him." Their mother said and started to get up.

"No Ma…I'll go." Tony said, and started to get up himself.

"Just let him be for a little bit." His father said. "He'll be OK."

"HE IS NOT OK!" Tony hollered, slamming both fists down on the table.

"Anthony!" his mother cried out in response.

"What is the matter with you!" Tony screamed at his father. "He is not OK! You just scared the shit out of him!"

"We're all scared Anthony!" His father shot back angrily.

Tony shook his head.

"I don't even know why I bother. You've made it clear time and time again that you don't give a shit about him!"

"Anthony! That's enough!" His mother yelled at him.

Tony turned to face his mother, who was sobbing now. He felt terrible. In all of his anger and frustration he hadn't thought of how all of this was affecting her. She was the one who was sick. He quickly rushed around the table and knelt beside her.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. Please don't cry."

"It's OK." She said, stroking his cheek. "It's OK. We're all upset."

"I'm going to go check on Andy." He told her. "I'll calm him down. He'll be OK."

"I know you will." She said smiling. "You're so good with him. You go. I"ll be up a little later to check on him."

Tony stood up and glanced at his father who was sitting at the other end of the table with his face buried in his hands. He was going to say something…but decided against it. What could he say? He turned and left the kitchen.

When he got upstairs, he found Andy's bedroom door shut. He knocked once.

"Andy? It's Tony. Can I come in?"

When he got no reply, he opened the door anyway and found his brother, sitting on the edge of his bed just rocking back and forth anxiously.

"Andy?"

His brother still didn't acknowledge him. Tony went over and sat down beside him on the bed.

"Hey." He said quietly. He reached out and touched the boy's arm and it was at that moment that Andy turned and threw himself at his brother, burying his face in his chest.

"She can't die Tony! She can't!" He managed to choke out between sobs.

Tony tightened his grasp on his brother. He could feel the boys heart pounding in his chest and all he wanted to do was calm him. But he didn't know how.

"Shh…" Tony whispered, stroking his hair. "You gotta calm down buddy."

"I can't." Andy replied.

"Hey!" Tony gently pushed Andy back off his chest and took his face in his hands, forcing the boy to look at him. "We don't even know what's going to happen yet. OK? She could be fine!"

"But what if she's not?" Andy asked. "I can't live in this house without her Tony. I won't!"

"Stop thinking like that! Look, you're getting yourself all spun up and it could be for nothing. Come here." He pulled Andy back into his arms and hugged him.

"Promise me you won't leave Tony." Andy pleaded. "If Mom dies, promise you won't leave me alone with him."

"I promise Andy." Tony whispered. "I promise. I'll never leave you alone."

To be continued…


	4. Chapter 4

The Jones Boys -Before Port Charles -Part 4

Author's note: Hope you are enjoying the story. If you like it, please leave a review and feel free to share with any Jones Brothers fans!

The Boys Den. That's what their mother called it. It was the basement TV room that their parents had finished years ago, with the sole purpose of being a place for the boys to hang out and entertain friends without bothering anyone; and anyone usually meant their father, who was very easily bothered these days.

It was where Tony had fallen asleep that Friday night, while watching TV. He had been invited to hang out with some friends who planned to hit up a couple of discos in town, but Tony had passed. He had stayed up all night, the previous night, studying for one of his med school exams and he was beat.

He probably would have slept straight through until morning, but a thumping on the wall above where he lay on the couch had woken him. He opened his eyes to find two legs, dangling from the small window up near the ceiling.

"What the hell?"

Tony quickly sat up and realized it was Andy, trying to shimmy his way in the window. Tony didn't have to look at the clock to know it was way past Andy's 10:00 curfew. He had fallen asleep with the TV on and the picture had turned to snow so he knew it was well past midnight.

Tony got up, grabbed his little brother by the waistband of his jeans and yanked him through the open window. Andy banged his head on the way in and cried out in pain. But Tony didn't care. He would have let him crash all the way to the floor, but Andy has just gotten the cast off his arm the week before and as annoyed as he was with him, he didn't want to really hurt him. So, he quickly grabbed him before he hit the floor.

"Jesus Tony! What the hell are you trying to do? Kill me?" Andy fumed as he straightened himself up and yanked his arm from his brother's grasp.

"What the hell are _you_ doing? Do you know what time it is? I thought you were grounded."

"I am. Why do think I'm sneaking in the damn window?" Andy replied rolling his eyes and waving his hand dramatically. It was at that moment that Tony realized…

"Are you drunk?"

Andy laughed.

"Uh…yeah. Maybe just a little."

"Boys? Is that you?" Their father's voice rang out from upstairs.

"Shit! Dad's up!" Tony exclaimed.

"Oh yeah. I forgot. He pulled into the driveway just as I was getting home. Another reason why I snuck in the window." Andy swayed a little on is feet as he said it and Tony grabbed him by his shoulders to steady him.

"Boys?"

"Yeah Dad! It's us." Tony replied. Then quickly turned back to his brother "Sit down."

He gave him a little shove, which under normal circumstances wouldn't have had much effect, but in Andy's current condition sent him sprawling onto the couch. Tony quickly grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and threw it over his brother's legs, then took a seat opposite him on the other end.

"Keep your mouth shut." He warned his brother. "And whatever you do, don't breathe on him."

"Yeah. Cuz I thought I give him a big kiss." Andy joked.

"Shh!" Tony said, just as their father descended the staircase.

"Boys? What are you still doing up? It's almost 2:30 in the morning."

"Oh, hey Dad." Tony greeted him casually. "Are you just getting home?"

"We had an emergency at the hospital. I got held up there. What are you still doing up?

"We were watching TV and we both fell asleep."

"Well you're not asleep now. And I thought I heard yelling." Their father replied.

"Oh yeah." Tony nodded. "That was Andy. He had a nightmare. Woke us both up."

"Oh? You OK? Their father asked, turning his attention to Andy.

"Yeah. He's fine." Tony chimed in before Andy could respond. "I got him."

"Well come on." He said, taking a step in Andy's direction. "I'll take you up to bed."

"No!" Tony cried out, then caught himself. "I mean…you don't have to do that. We can stay down here tonight. I think Andy would rather be with me than alone in his room right now. The nightmare really shook him up."

Andy nodded his head in agreement.

"Well alright." Their father conceded. "But don't stay up too late. I have the day off tomorrow and I want you boys to help me with some yard work."

"Sure. No problem Dad." Tony replied.

Their father turned to look at Andy once more and Tony thought for sure he was onto them. It seemed to Tony like he stood there forever, but it was actually only a few seconds.

"Well good night." He finally said, turned and headed toward the stairs.

"Good night." The boys replied in unison.

Tony waited until his father had made his way up the stairs before getting up and crossing the room to stand at the bottom of the stairs. He listened and made sure he heard his dad ascend the stairs to the second floor before turning his attention back to his brother.

"A nightmare?" Andy slurred. "What am I? Five?"

"You act like it sometimes." Tony replied. "You mind telling me what the hell is going on with you?"

Andy shrugged.

"What?"

"Don't what me! When did you start drinking?"

Andy rolled his eyes and threw the blanket off his legs.

"Relax Saint Anthony. It's not like you never drank in high school."

"You're not in high school yet." Tony reminded him.

"I start next month."

"You're too young to be drinking."

"Oh, shut up! You're just jealous because you were never invited to parties when you were my age."

"Yeah. That's it." Tony replied sarcastically. "And where exactly was this party?"

"I dunno." Andy replied, laying back on the couch and running his hands through his hair. "Some upper classman's house. His parents were out of town."

"And they let _you_ in?"

"Yes, they let me in." Andy snapped at him. "They happen to like me. They think I'm a cool kid."

"Oh yeah. You're real cool."

"Actually, I am." Andy smiled smugly. "I had this tenth-grade chic all over me. Look, I think she even gave me a hickey." He said excitedly, pulling his hair back so his brother could see.

"Yep! She sure did." Tony confirmed. "You better not let Mom and Dad see that. You'll be grounded for the rest of your life."

"It would be worth it." Andy replied dreamily.

Tony sighed and took a seat across from his brother on the couch.

"Andy…I'm worried about you. This is not you."

"Yes Tony…it is. You just can't accept the fact that I'm not a little kid anymore." Andy countered.

"Is it because Mom's sick? Is that why you're drinking?" Tony asked him, ignoring Andy's comment.

"It has nothing to do with Mom."

"Andy, It's OK. I know you're scared."

"I told you…it has nothing to do with that! So just shut up already!" Andy hollered at him.

"Alright! Alright! Lower your voice. Do you want Dad back down here?" Tony warned.

Andy just gave him a dirty look.

"You better get some sleep. Sounds like we're going to have a busy day tomorrow." Tony advised him.

Andy said nothing, but started to lay down on the couch.

"Uh! Not there." Tony protested. "On the floor or in the recliner. The couch is mine."

"Why do you get the couch?" Andy asked him.

"Because I'm older. And besides, I was there first."

When Andy gave no indication that he planned on moving, Tony took him by the arm.

"I mean it. Get up." He said, pulling his brother off the couch.

Andy whined in protest, as Tony dragged him to his feet. He took a few steps on his own toward the recliner, but in his drunken state, he managed to trip over his own feet and started to fall. Tony quickly grabbed him.

"Don't touch me! I can walk by myself!" Andy barked at him, yanking himself from his brother's grasp and staggering the last few steps before falling into the recliner.

Tony walked over to a closet the along the far wall where they kept some spare blankets. He grabbed the first one he could find and then walked back to his brother and threw it his face.

"You're such a jerk!" Andy cried. "Pulling the blanket from his face."

"You're welcome!" Tony snapped at him.

Tony would liked to have slept a lot longer than he did the next morning, but was awoken around 6:00 am to the sound of his brother puking in the basement bathroom. He got off the couch and made his way to open bathroom door and found his brother kneeling on the floor in front of the toilet, groaning miserably.

Tony smiled.

"Well look at you. Praying to the porcelain god." He said cheerfully. "Still having fun?"

"Shut up." Andy groaned.

Tony entered the bathroom the leaned against the sink.

"You know…I've had the opportunity to witness so many of your first moments. I was there for your first words, your first steps, your first tooth…. But I gotta tell you, your first hangover just may be the most memorable."

"You're enjoying this. Aren't you?" Andy groaned, his head still hung over the toilet.

"I'd be lying if I said no." Tony admitted.

As if on cue, his little brother's body tensed up and he grabbed onto the sides of the toilet as another wave of nausea hit him and hurled into the toilet once more.

Tony instantly felt guilty.

"I was just kidding." He said quietly.

Andy's body relaxed, but only long enough for him to catch his breath and wipe his eyes. Once again, his body tensed and he began dry heaving, having finally expelled everything that was in his stomach.

Tony knelt beside him and began rubbing circles on his brother's back in a feeble attempt to provide some comfort.

"I'm dying." Andy moaned, still maintaining his death grip on the side of the toilet.

"You're not dying." Tony replied, pulling the hair back from his brother's face.

"I'm never drinking again."

Tony laughed.

"Yeah…You say that now."

Tony stood up and grabbed a washcloth from rack on the wall. He soaked it with cool water, rung it out and handed it to his brother who had finally released his grip on the toilet and was now seated on the floor looking completely drained.

"Here. Wipe your face."

Andy did as his brother instructed. Tony turned the tap back on and let the water run cold before taking a glass from the sink and filling it.

"You need to drink lots of water." He said, handing the glass to his brother.

Andy took a sip of the water, swished it in his mouth two or three times and then spat into the toilet. He repeated that two or three more times, before actually drinking any of the water. When he finished the half a glass that remained, Tony took the glass from him, refilled it and set it down on the sink.

"You should try to get some more sleep. We have at least two or three hours before Dad wakes up." Tony said, leaning down to take his brother's arm. "Come on. Get up."

"Why do I have to get up when dad gets up?" Andy asked, as he allowed himself to be hoisted up by his brother.

Andy had clearly forgotten the conversation with their dad the night before. And seeing as their father seemed to go out of his way to have as little interaction with his youngest son was possible, it was a fair question.

"Because we have been recruited for yard work. Did you forget?"

"Oh shit." Andy moaned, running his hands through his hair in frustration. As he did this, he pulled his long sandy hair back from his neck which revealed a dark purple bruise.

"Wow!" Tony said, reaching out and gently rubbing his finger across the bruise. "She got you good."

Andy must have forgotten about the hickey because when Tony pointed it out, he looked shocked and whipped around to inspect his neck in the mirror.

"Oh no! Do you think Mom and Dad will notice?"

All the excitement Andy had expressed the previous night about the little love bite was clearly gone. He frantically used his fingers to comb his hair down over his neck, trying to cover the mark, but he knew it was hopeless. While his hair was long enough to cover the mark somewhat, one quick turn of his head or a gust of wind and the bruise would be visible again.

"I am so dead." He added without giving Tony a chance to reply to his question.

"Well maybe not." Tony offered and started rummaging through the top drawer of the bathroom vanity.

"What are you looking for?" Andy asked him.

"Something that's hopefully going to cover that bruise if it's still in here." Tony replied, reaching to the far back of the drawer.

"Ah yes! Found it." He exclaimed, pulling his hand from the drawer.

Andy tilted his head quizzically and looked at what his brother was holding in his hand.

"Is that lipstick?"

"No, you dope! It's a makeup stick. Girls use it to cover their zits and shit."

"And why exactly do you have makeup?" Andy asked him.

Tony laughed.

"One of my ex-girlfriends gave it to me to use after she left a love bite of her own on my neck."

"How thoughtful of her." Andy commented.

"Come here and stand in the light."

Andy did as instructed as Tony removed the cap from the makeup stick.

"Hold your hair back and tilt your head a little bit."

Tony attempted rub the stick directly on his brother's bruised neck but the make-up was old and slightly dried out causing it to catch and pull on Andy's skin.

"Ow!" Andy complained.

"Sorry. This shit is so old."

He took the stick and rubbed it vigorously on the back of his own hand which seemed to help soften it up. Once he was able to get a bit of color on the bruise, he placed the stick down and used his finger to blend it in.

"You're in luck." Tony informed him. "This stuff matches you skin tone pretty good. You just gotta make sure you blend it in really good."

When he was finished, Tony stood back to admire his work.

"Not bad. You can hardly see it."

Andy turned to inspect his neck in the mirror.

"Wow! That _is_ pretty good. You should be a cosmonaut instead of a doctor."

Tony, who had been washing the makeup off his hands, stopped and turned to his brother.

"A what?"

"A cosmonaut. You know…those people that do make-up for a living."

Tony bust out laughing. His brother was so adorably clueless sometimes.

"That's a cosmetologist you dummy!"

"Oh. What did I say?"

Tony shook his head.

"Never mind." He grabbed the washcloth again and handed it his brother. "Now wipe that shit off and get back to bed."

To Be Continued


End file.
